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A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.

E. M. Forster

I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity around them and often a pool of blood too, and I always feel a little man’s pleasure when they come a cropper.
E. M. FORSTER

Around Blood Disturb Great Men Often Produce Uniformity
Think before you speak is criticism’s motto; speak before you think, creation’s.
E. M. FORSTER

Before Creation Criticism Motto Sepak Speak Think
We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things; because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you won’t do harm – yes, choose a place where you won’t do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine.
E. M. FORSTER

Cast Follow Good Move Place Save Shadow Something Stand Thing
The kingdom of music is not the kingdom of this world; it will accept those whom breeding and intellect and culture have alike rejected.
E. M. FORSTER

Accept Alike Breed Culture Intelect Kingdom Music Reject
You confuse what’s important with what’s impressive.
E. M. FORSTER

Confuse Important Impressive
But the body is deeper than the soul and its secrets inscrutable.
E. M. FORSTER

Body Deeper Inscrutable Secret Soul
She stopped and leant her elbows against the parapet of the embankment. He did likewise. There is at times a magic in identity of position; it is one of the things that have suggested to us eternal comradeship.
E. M. FORSTER

Against Elbow Embankment Identity Learn Likewise Magic Parapet Position Stop Times
There are moments when the inner life actually ‘pays,’ when years of self-scrutiny, conducted for no ulterior motive, are suddenly of practical use.
E. M. FORSTER

Actual Conduct Inner Life Moment Motive Pay Scrutiny Self Suddenly Use Year
Death destroys a man, but the idea of death saves him.
E. M. FORSTER

Death Destroy Idea Man Save
My temple stands not upon Mount Moriah but in the Elysian Field where even the immoral are admitted. My motto is ‘Lord, I disbelieve – help thou my unbelief.
E. M. FORSTER

Admit Country Disbelieve Motto People Person Stand Temple Unbelief
It makes a difference doesn’t it, whether we fully fence ourselves in, or whether we are fenced out by the barriers of others?
E. M. FORSTER

Barrier Cut Difference Fence Fully Make Other Ourselves Whether
Outside the arch, always there seemed another arch. And beyond the remotest echo, a silence.
E. M. FORSTER

Always Another Arch Beyond Echo Outside Remote Seem Silence
Most of life is so dull that there is nothing to be said about it, and the books and talks that would describe it as interesting are obliged to exaggerate, in the hope of justifying their own existence.
E. M. FORSTER

Book Describe Dull Exaggerate Interesting Life Most Nothing Obliged Talk
I cannot help thinking that there is something to admire in everyone, even if you do not approve of them.
E. M. FORSTER

Admire Approve Everyone Help Something Them Think
We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand.
E. M. FORSTER

Cast Shadow Something Stand
The sort of poetry I seek only resides in objects Man can’t touch – like England ‘s grass network of lanes 100 years ago, but today he can destroy them and only Lord Farrer keeps him from doing it.
E. M. FORSTER

Ago Country Destroy Grass Hundred Lane Man Network Object Poetry Reason Seek Sort Them Today Touch Year
People have their own deaths as well as their own lives, and even if there is nothing beyond death, we shall differ in our nothingness.
E. M. FORSTER

Beyond Death Differ Live Nothing Nothingness Own People Shall
There is an aristocracy of the sensitive. They represent the true human tradition of permanent victory over cruelty and chaos.
E. M. FORSTER

Aristocracy Chaos Cruelty Human Permanent Represent Sensitive Tradition True Ver Victory
I believe we shall come to care about people less and less, Helen. The more people one knows, the easier it becomes to replace them. It’s one of the curses of London. I quite expect to end my life caring most for a place.
E. M. FORSTER

Become Believe Come Country Easier Less More People Person replace Shall
So I shan’t ever marry, for there aren’t such men. And Heaven help any one whom I do marry, for I shall certainly run away from him before you can say ‘Jack Robinson.
E. M. FORSTER

Away Certainty Country Men People Person Run Shall
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
E. M. FORSTER

Go Must Plan Wait Will
The people I respect most behave as if they were immortal and as if society was eternal.
E. M. FORSTER

Behave Eternal Immortal Most People Respect Society
Unless we remember we cannot understand.
E. M. FORSTER

Understand Unless Remember
Money pads the edges of things.
E. M. FORSTER

Edge Money Pad Thing
The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else which we cannot define.
E. M. FORSTER

Anything Define Effective Else Final Friend Novel Test Tet
It’s not what people do to you, but what they mean, that hurts.
E. M. FORSTER

Hurt Mean People
Works of art, in my opinion, are the only objects in the material universe to possess internal order, and that is why, though I don’t believe that only art matters, I do believe in Art for Art’s sake.
E. M. FORSTER

Art Believe Internal Material Object Only Opinion Order Posses Universe Work

A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.

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A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.

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Popular Authors

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